Changing The Transmission Drive Belt(S); Upper/Lower Drive Belt - Yard-Man AutoDrive 604 Operator's Manual

IMPORTANT:
it is recommended that the PTO be readjusted after replacing the deck belt. Refer to PTO
(POWER TAKE-OFF) ADJUSTMENT in the ADJUSTMENTS section of this manual for the properpmcedure.
• Remount the belt guards removed earlier.
PTO (Top) Belt
Bottom Belt
42-Inch Deck 46-Inch Deck
754-0472 754-0476
N/A 754-0349
CHANGING THE TRANSMISSION DRIVE BELT(S)
All belts on your tractor are subject to wear and should be replaced ff any signs of cracking, shredding or
retting are present.
IMPORTANT:
The V-belts found on your tractor are specially designed to engage and disengage safely. A
substitute (non-OEM) V-belt can be dangerous by not disengaging completely. For a proper working machine,
use factory approved belts.
To change or replace the drive belt(s) on your tractor, proceed as follows:
NOTE: It's recommended that both drive belts be replaced at the same time.
• Remove the cutting deck as instructed earlier in this section.
• After disconnecting the battery cables, remove the battery and battery tray from beneath the seat.
IMPORTANT:
When removing the batter_, disconnect the NEGATIVE (Black) wire from it's terminal first,
followed by the POSITIVE (Red) wire. Re-install in reverse order.
Upper Drive Belt
• Locate the transmission idler pulley on the upper ddve belt by looking through the battery tray opening.
See Figure 16.
• Grasp the bracket and pivot the transmission idler pulley toward the rear of the tractor to release
tension on the upper ddve belt.
• Remove the belt from around the transmission idler pulley.
• Remove the upper drive belt from around the transmission pulley and the variable-speed pulley.
NOTE:
Slowly rotate the pulley counterclockwise to roll the belt off of it.
• Remove the upper drive belt by pulling it up through the battery tray opening.
• Reroute the new upper drive belt as shown in Figure 16.
Lower Drive Belt
NOTE:
Proper removal of the lower drive belt requires special tools and the removal of several tractor
components. Read through the following procedure prior to attempting it to determine if you feel you could
successfully complete it. If you don't, see an authorized MTD service dealer to have the belt changed.
IMPORTANT:
Note the routing of the lower drive belt around both the pulleys and the belt keepers
BEFORE performing the following steps.
• Locate the variable-speed pulley by looking through the battery tray opening. See Figure 16.
• Remove the variable-speed pulley by loosening the hex bolt that affixes it to the transmission. Use a
second wrench to hold the hex nut on the bottom side of the pulley.
• Slide the belt off of the variable-speed pulley as you lift the pulley up and out through the battery tray
opening.
NOTE:
Jacking the rear of the tractor up off the ground and securing it with jackstands at this point in the
procedure will ease the following steps, but is not necessary.
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